Hong Kong swimming community decries ongoing restrictions on pools and beaches – ‘We have no idea what is happening’
- While gyms have been open for more than a week under various restrictions, pools and beaches remain closed
- Hong Kong’s swimming community says it is unsure why the government has left it out
Sarah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, swims at one of Hong Kong’s closed public beaches three times a week, manoeuvring around blockades so she can access the water.
She knows she is breaking the law but with pools and beaches having been closed for months because of the third coronavirus wave, she feels like she has no other option.
“It’s for my physical and very much my mental health during the pandemic,” she said. “It is how I keep in shape. So I am willing to jump through hoops to get into the water. I am not the only one doing this.”
While most sports facilities and even massage parlours and beauty salons are now open, many are perplexed as to why restrictions have not been eased at public pools or beaches.
Beaches run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department have been cordoned off with tape, plastic gates, large water-filled barriers and even plywood. Public beaches are often patrolled by police or LCSD staff, but this has not deterred people like Sarah.